Service tray



April 23, 1929. G. E; WHITNEY 1,709,927

SERVICE TRAY Original Filed Aug. 1,v 1926 fia-1l..

Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

U N 'l T E D GEORGE E. WHITNEY, or

" 1,709, T F F IC SERVICE TRAY.

Application led August 8, 1926, Serial No. 126,865.

This invention relates to service trays but more particularly hasreference to devices of this description that are equipped with foldinglegs, the principal object of the invention being to automatically boldthe legs in their opened or folded positions without the employment ofan cooperating securing means fastened to t ie central portion of thetray.

In Letters Patent No. 1,593,611, issued to me July 27, 1926, I haveshown and described a tray similar to the one which forms the subject ofthe present application, but which employs an elongated resilient barsecured to the central portion of the bottom of the tray, and having itsends equipped for engaging the stirrups. This bar necessarily caused thecentral portion of the upper surface of the tray to be marred owing tothe fact that rivets pass through thebar and tray for securing said bar.

In the present invention I have eliminated the bar altogether, and haveprovided at each end of the tray a spring clip secured to the tray byrivets and having its main body, or effective, portion normally'extending at an angle from the tray, and atthe inner and outer ends ofthese extending portions are formed recesses within which the stirrupsare housed when the legs are in closed or extended positions, thesurfaces ot these extended portions intermediate these recesses beingengaged by the stirrups, when the legs are swung in either direction, soas to force these clips toward the tray, whereby the resilient recoveryof said clips when said stirrups have been positioned opposite saidrecesses will cause the stirrups to be housed within the latter.

In the accompanying drawings,-which illustrate the invention, similarnumerals ot reference denote like parts in the several figures- Figure 1being a bottom perspective view of a service tra equipped with myimprovement with the egs opened,

Figure 2 being a bottom of the tray with the legs closed, and

Figure 3 being a broken section at Jdie line 3-3 ot Figure 2.

1 is the tray proper. and 2 generally dcnotes the le elements.

Each of t ese le portions is formed ot a continuous piece o? wire whichis Afashioned at the bottom into suitablet'eet 3 and at the RenewedFebruary 1, 1929.

inner end into a cross bar 4 which is journaled in brackets 5 secured tothe bottom of the tray at each end.

The central portion of each of these bars 4 is formed into a stirrup 6,while intermediate the feet 3 the free ends of the wire are preferablywelded at the point "7.

8 is a spring clip formed of sheet metal whose extremities are rivetedto the bottom of the tray7 and whose main body portion extends at anangle from the tray, the metal strips from this body portion beingspaced apart to give better resiliency.

As above stated there are two of these clips one at each end of the trayand at the outer end of each clip is a recess 9 while at the in ner endis a recess 10, the recess 9 having a straight outer wall to preventoverthrow of the legs.

lhesupposing the legs to'be closed and lying against the bottom of thetray as is shown at Figures 2 and 3, the outward swinging of these legswill cause the stirrups G to leave the recesses l() and engage thesurfaces ot the cli )s intermediate the recesses, thus forcing theseclips inwardly toward the tray, and when these stirrups are swungopposite the recesses 9, the clips will spring outwardly and thus causethe stil-rups to be housed within these recesses, as is shown at Figure1.

In closing the legs the stirrups will be `forced out of the recesses 9against the surfaces of the clips so as to crowd the latter toward thetray, and when these stirrups have come opposite the recesses 10 theclips will spring outwardly and thus cause the stir-rups to be housedwithin these recesses.

The construction of these clips enables them to offer such a resistanceto the Inove-v nicnts of the legs that the latter will be securely heldboth when extended and closed.

What is claimed is:-

l. A service tray comprising a tray propcr, legs pivotally swung at thebottom of the tray at cach end thereof, the inner portions of said legsconsisting of cross bars whose centers are formed into stirrups, andresilient clips secured at cach end of the tray bottom and normallyextended at an angle thereto sd Jsto begngaged by said stirrups, theinner and Outer\e"1ds of said clips having recesses within which saidstirrups are housed when the legs are folded and opened.

2. A tray as in claim 1, in which the legs are formed of a continuouswire or strip of metal whose free ends are welded the lnner ends beingcross-bars that are pivotally' swung from the bottom of the tray, thecentral part of each bar between the. pivotal points bein formed into astirrup, while the resilient cllps are formed of sheet met-a1 stripswhose free ends are riveted to the tray and whose angularly extendingportions are formedby spacing apart the metal' of the 10 strip. Intestimony whereof I aix Iny signaturehere-to.

GEORGE E. WHITNEY.

